There's a certain ennui that comes over me when summer hits. Just after the rush of the spring and before the crush of the fall, summer turns my head to thoughts of beaches, lazy reading and those things we can do to stay cool and hydrated. And now you know the rigorous editorial process that created this month’s story that’s illustrated on the cover by a fabulous shot taken at House Spirits in Portland.

Which is also a good way to introduce our new art director, Jon Taylor Carter, a man with a background in design and Broadway. And reality shows. There’s nothing JT can’t do. You might have noticed his work already. Since the June issue, he’s been morphing the design of Oregon Business into a more bold and dynamic direction. Not one to take the easy way out, he spent hours at several locations for our cover story by contributing writer Lucy Burningham, working with photographer Paula Watts to capture the personalities and product behind Portland’s craft distillers.

Yes, yes. A tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Like I said, JT is a clever man. And you might need one of those good, stiff craft-distilled drinks after reading our annual evaluation of Oregon’s public companies. Ten years ago there were 80 companies and this year there are only 51. Total revenue for the list this year was $43.2 billion, a drop of 14% compared to last year. The bad economy has taken a big bite out of the public sector just as it has private companies, which last month’s issue outlined in detail.

Outside the pages of the magazine, our website, OregonBusiness.com, also has been morphing. If you aren’t a regular reader, then you might want to check out two new features we recently launched to bring web readers more and faster news.

The Latest is a new blog that reports on timely business issues and trends, which have included employment credit checks, Timbers ticket sales, the drenched berry season, medical marijuana and more.

And in early July, Oregon Business became the nation’s first business publication and first magazine to use Nozzl Media’s real-time streaming technology to create Business News Now. Nozzl is a Portland startup helmed by former journalist Steve Woodward. The brainacs over there figured out how to harness the output of 350 content sources, such as news organizations, private and public companies, universities, the SEC and more, to create an exclusive and customized real-time news stream for us. There’s also a cool little filter that allows users to tailor what they see.

So kick back. Grab a drink. Head for the back yard with our magazine under your arm or our website on your laptop. Enjoy the latest.

BY JASON NORRIS, CFA | OB GUEST BLOGGER

Pets.com, GeoCities, eToys, and WorldCom … blasts-from-the-past that all signify the late 1990s Internet bubble. Yet we believe the dynamics of the market, specifically in technology stocks, are much different today than it was during the late 1990s.

Brand Stories

BY KATRINA WALKER

Generations of students and graduates have been plagued by the question: What is my true calling in life? Four alumni from Corban University’s Hoff School of Business who graduated in different decades say the school helped them find the answer by giving them a practical, well-rounded education.

It’s happening whether anyone’s ready or not. Businesses here in Oregon and across the U.S. are already experiencing the effects of the largest generational shift in recent history, and these changing tides will impact every level of the workplace — from a company’s executive leadership to its cultural core.

The Oregon Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, will be hosting it’s Annual Dinner and Keynote event on March 12, 2015. The evening promises to be memorable, with this years Keynote, Christine McKinley.